Leonard Cohen, Untold Stories: The Early Years

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Description

The extraordinary life of one of the worlds greatest music and literary icons, in the words of those who knew him best.

Poet, novelist, singer-songwriter, artist, prophet, iconthere has never been a figure like Leonard Cohen. He was a true giant in contemporary western culture, entertaining and inspiring people everywhere with his work. From his groundbreaking and bestselling novels, The Favourite Game and Beautiful Losers, to timeless songs such as Suzanne, Dance Me to the End of Love, and Hallelujah, Cohen is a cherished artist. His death in 2016 was felt around the world by the many fans and followers who would miss his warmth, humour, intellect, and piercing insights.

Leonard Cohen, Untold Stories chronicles the full breadth of his extraordinary life. The first of three volumesThe Early Yearsfollows him from his boyhood in Montreal to university, and his burgeoning literary career to the world of music, culminating with his first international tour in 1970.

Through the voices of those who knew him bestfamily and friends, colleagues and contemporaries, rivals, business partners, and his many loversthe book probes deeply into both Cohens public and private life. It also paints a portrait of an era, the social, cultural, and political revolutions that shook the 1960s.

In this revealing and entertaining first volume, bestselling author and biographer Michael Posner draws on hundreds of interviews to reach beyond the Cohen of myth and reveal the unique, complex, and compelling figure of the real man.

Reviews

A Globe and Mail Top 100 Book of 2020
Posner undertook dozens and dozens of interviews . . . creating a unique oral history, as if theyre in a room together, sharing memories and stories. . . . Theyre linked together with a light narrative voice that gives this biography a very intimate and personal feel.
Toronto Star
The life of Leonard Cohenpoet, novelist, artist, Zen monk, and oh, yes, singer-songwriteris too vast to be contained within one book. Thankfully, Posner is giving us three. . . . Posner draws on hundreds of interviews to explore Cohens private and public lives, his complexities and contradictions, and, of course, his inarguable charisma. Serve yourself some tea and oranges and settle in.
Zoomer
Through these stories, a unique portrait of a young Leonard Cohen is revealed, with insights into not only his extraordinary life but also his timeless poetry and music.
ANNE MURRAY, Grammy Awardwinning singer
Posner masterfully weaves an abundance of interviews withCohens family, friends, and myriad lovers to create an intricate tapestry and, ultimately, produces the most revealing portrait of the legendary songwriter and wordsmith to date.
NICHOLAS JENNINGS, journalist and bestselling author of Lightfoot
Out of a welter of storiesfrom those who encountered Leonard Cohenas associate, friend, or loverMichael Posner has shaped a fascinatingmulti-faceted portrait. Posner is indeed Cohens Boswell, no doubt about it.
SEYMOUR MAYNE, poet, editor, and translator
Offers an impressively thorough excavation of stories, including some gems and, well, dirt. Together, [Posners] various positions and perspectives create a cubist portrait of the Montreal-born icon as a young manand simultaneously an artist, intellectual, prankster, bon vivant, workaholic, and dabbler in everything . . . If Cohens your man and youre his fan, youll want this book.
Macleans
Posner masterfully weaves the story of the iconic musicians life through hundreds of interviews with the people who knew him best, including family members, business partners, and lovers alike.
Chatelaine
Leonard Cohens posthumous album in 2019 proved he still had something profound to say, even in death. This book likewise confirms that hundreds of others have their own tales to tell about the master songwriter. The first of three volumes, it covers his early life via a myriad of fascinating interviewees, from rabbis to lovers. . . . Give it to anyone who misses Cohen.
Evening Standard
As the anecdotes accumulate up until 1970, they build a compelling picture of the worlds around [Cohen]affluent Montreal suburbia, Canadian Jewish summer camps, beatnik coffeehouses, jetset bohemiagrounding his myth in solid context, enriching it with casual detail. . . . As with any good oral history, the stories and opinions slowly coalesce like pointillist dots, shifting into a complex portrait of a man stepping into his myth, becoming brilliant.
MOJO Magazine
Sex, drugs, and poetry permeate this oral history of Leonard Cohen. . . . This book offers a seductive blend of sometimes contradictory insights.
Library Journal
A detailed account of Cohens fascinating early life and career. For serious Cohen fans, its a page-tuner.
Canadian Jewish Record
[The] multiple perspectives capture man and myth in tandem.For all of his gift for words, Cohen would have struggled to tell his story better himself.
Uncut Magazine

Author Bio

Michael Posneris an award-winning writer, playwright, and journalist, and the author of nine previous books. These include the bestselling Mordecai Richler biographyThe Last Honest Man, and the Anne Murray biographyAll of Me, as well as the first two books in theLeonard Cohen, Untold Storiesseries,The Early Years, Vol. 1andFrom This Broken Hill, Vol. 2.He was Washington Bureau Chief forMacleansmagazine, and later served as its national, foreign, and assistant managing editor. He was also managing editor of theFinancial Times of Canadafor three years. He later spent sixteen years as a senior writer withTheGlobe and Mail(Toronto).